EU Looking At Spanish Proposal To End Clock Changing

Although the clocks go back this weekend the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has proposed that this year is the last time.

Speaking on a social media video, Sanchez said that  “changing the clocks twice a year no longer makes sense”, as it “hardly helps to save energy, on top of having a negative impact on people’s health and lives”.

The European Commission has said that it will study Spain’s proposal to put an end to the clock changes that take place twice a year.

If approved the move could take affect as soon as next year.

During the meeting of EUenergy ministers in Luxembourg this week the  energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said that the EU will soon “carry out an in-depth analysis”. Brussels will try to find “a common ground” among the EU-27.

In the meantime, the clocks will continue going one hour backwards or forwards, until a decision is reached.At the meeting, Spain’s deputy representative in Brussels, Oriol Escalas, referred to 44 studies that have proved that there are almost no energy saving benefits to clock changes in today’s modern world. “We only save around six euros a year, but the impact on people’s health and well-being is enormous. It is an obsolete and unjustified measure,” Escalas stated.

Finland and Poland have expressed their support of Spain’s proposal. The Finnish ambassador said that changing the clock “affects people’s physical health, especially in countries with longer dark hours such as Finland”. The Polish ambassador also backed the initiative, stating that clock changes “deregulate people’s lives”.